Facebook Oversight Board Delays Decision on Trump

(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc.’s de facto Supreme Court of content has extended the timeline for its decision on whether former President Donald Trump should return to the world’s largest social network.

The Oversight Board said in a statement on Friday that it will issue its ruling on “Trump’s indefinite suspension from Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks.”

A decision had been expected in the next several days. The board suggested it needs more time to account for overwhelming public comments on the case. The board has received more than 9,000 responses and its “commitment to carefully reviewing all comments has extended the case timeline,” according to the statement posted on Twitter.

Facebook suspended Trump on Jan. 6, forbidding him from sharing content with his 35 million followers after his posts encouraged a violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol. His ban has intensified long-running accusations of political bias against conservatives and added fire to the debate about social media companies’ refereeing of speech.

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